Faridpur Medical interns begin indefinite strike over six demands

Intern and trainee doctors of Faridpur Medical College Hospital, along with medical students, have launched an indefinite work abstention protesting the Health Ministry's "unreasonable and anti-medical decision." They have also demanded the implementation of a six-point charter of demands.

The protesters held a human chain and protest march on the campus on Sunday morning, June 7. They said the strike will continue until their demands are met.

President of the Faridpur Medical College Hospital Intern Doctors' Council, Dr Sakib Hasan Laskar, said all intern doctors have joined the indefinite strike in solidarity with the central decision.

An intern doctor from the hospital alleged that the government has been ignoring their legitimate demands for a long time. The six-point demands include cancellation of the committee related to the placement policy for private trainees who have passed FCPS Part-1, reducing BMU and BCPS admission fees to Tk 500-1,000, fixing the minimum salary for intern doctors at Tk 30,000, and ensuring a salary structure equivalent to Grade-9 for trainee doctors.

Additionally, the protesters demanded the enactment of a health worker protection law, raising the age limit for entry into the BCS health cadre to 34 years, and establishing a clear salary structure for private doctors. The strike will continue until their demands are met.